Stealing Phryne’s Style

When I put together this outfit I instantly thought of it being something that Phryne Fisher might wear – and I’m not going to lie, I do look to her for inspiration a lot. But what lover of the twenties wouldn’t? That said, the irony is that I don’t actually watch the Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries series. While I am a fan of the crime genre, I prefer true crime to detective dramas. When it comes to looking for ideas on how to style a twenties outfit I find that it’s harder to find separates and especially trousers on their own rather as a beach pajama set. This is where Phryne comes in as a great source of inspiration as her wardrobe is full of fabulous trousers and blouses worn with dramatic jackets and coats.

As I’ve been making changes to my wardrobe, I’ve been trying to commit to collecting pieces that can be styled differently and buying these pants was part of that initiative. So ideally by the end of this year I would like to style them as part of three different outfits, and as it is still January for a few more days you can take this to be my ‘New Years resolution’. While I am typically not a fan of making these I don’t think it would do me any harm to try and be more creative when putting together looks, and surely my bank account will appreciate the thriftiness of such an initiative.

I’m also learning to put together twenties looks using high street pieces. This is something other vintage bloggers have been doing for years to supplement their wardrobes, but every time I go into a high street store I get flustered. Part of it is because I feel like I’m intruding, but a lot of it is that I have absolutely no idea what to look for! I am used to looking at costume dramas and old photos for inspiration so when confronted with racks of modern pieces I feel overwhelmed. So far I have found H&M to be the best bet for affordable twenties inspired pieces and I look forward to having a go at styling more modern pieces in the coming months. If this is something you’re also interested in doing I would highly recommend checking out Jessica’s recent post on styling high street for twenties looks and other decades!

Comments

You’ve done a great job of pulling this look together. You look great! I attempted something similar recently but without such success. I am on the hunt too for more 20s style on the high street, but I do find it difficult and my last two Asos purchases were disasters. Can Jessica be our personal shopper?! Xx

Thank you so much for the shout out! And I think you did a wonderful job putting together this outfit – so Phryne Fisher! I know you said you don’t really watch the show, but I think you captured the essence perfectly, and I could just see you sneaking in through a window to try and snare a thief, pearl handled pistol in tow.
Good luck with finding more versatile items to add to your wardrobe. Everyone needs some basics to round things out – they’re what let those really special, exciting pieces shine.

Your separates game is strong 😉 you wouldn’t know any of this was high street, it all fits so wonderfully together. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the trousers next time – I can’t wear styles like this cos my legs are so short but I love seeing them on others 😀 x

Love, love, Phryne’s wardrobe ~ tbh, that was half the reason I watched the show, but I did also love her character; so seeing this on you makes me so happy! You look amazing, and I can’t wait to see what you do for your restyling efforts with those fabulous pants! ❤

If you find a good dressmaker/tailor who really knows what they’re doing, even with short legs you can make the pants work, but it does take a bit of alteration – just the right length is so important with a short leg, and the pants tailored down the length of the leg to accommodate the reduction of length. This is the thing most people don’t realise, just shortening the length is no good alone because the line of the leg is still slightly tapered even in a wide leg pant.

Heya Maggie – you have a good eye, it’s funny because I hadn’t even noticed the length until you pointed it out! I think it might be because I tried the trousers on with high chunky platforms when I first got them and hadn’t given length a second thought. The thing I find the trickiest is working out how much of the length to take up as I like to wear both flats and high heels. Perhaps I need to invest in a good hem tape 😛

You look so fabulous! I love how you have styled the House of Foxy scarf with the similar colours of the piano shawl. It looks so lovely in your hair! I’ve personally found the neutral trousers and blouses combo is a great one and can be styled so many different ways with layers and under different coats and jackets. It’s an especially good choice for traveling when one is (sort of) trying to keep the number of items to a minimum!

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A vintage lover from Brisbane. I am passionately nostalgic for decades before my time. I enjoy recreating looks inspired by the past wearing both vintage and vintage reproduction clothing. My blog focuses on the styles of the art deco period and features both authentic vintage pieces from the 1920s, 30s & 40s, as well as modern reproductions of clothing from these eras. My blog explores creating modern every day looks with vintage elements. If you would like to say hello get in touch with me through harlow@harlowdarling.com.